


Man Up, Leo

by weepingnaiad



Category: Star Trek (2009)
Genre: Comment Fic, Community: jim_and_bones, First Kiss, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-03
Updated: 2012-01-03
Packaged: 2017-10-28 20:41:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/311982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weepingnaiad/pseuds/weepingnaiad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was for a prompt over at LJ comm, jim_and_bones’s current flash challenge – Resolutions.  The prompt was: <i>’Bones: to tell Jim how he feels’</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Man Up, Leo

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** The characters in this story belong to their respective copyright owners and I’m merely allowing them a bit of fun in the spirit of transformative works and mean no infringement of any kind. I do promise to return them with smiles on.

Leo paces. His quarters are large for a Starship, but he’s feeling hemmed in, skin too tight. The bourbon beckons, but he’s not going to drown his fears in a bottle. Not this time.

The fact is, he’s been trying to do this for over nine months, ever since that damned fool willingly beamed over to the Narada.

But Leo’s an idiot at times, and this… well this has the potential to fuck things up royally. And Leo at heart despises change. Still, he swore that he’d tell Jim before it was too late and damn the consequences.

That was at New Year’s… three months ago.

And now here he is, standing in the transporter room waiting, yet again, not knowing just how badly Jim’s hurt. What if it’s too late and Jim’s…

He doesn’t let himself finish that thought, refuses to believe it. There is one constant in this universe: Jim Kirk is the smartest, luckiest SOB in the whole damn galaxy, and no two-bit tin horn petty dictator on some backwater planet is going to take him down.

Two hours later, Leo’s sitting beside Jim’s biobed, their fingers linked, his thumb rubbing over Jim’s abraded knuckles. For all Leo’s confidence, it’d been damned close. They’d lost Cortez, almost lost Spock while Leo was battling to close the gaping wound in Jim’s chest. Fucking primitive projectile weapons.

Jim’s eyes flutter open, just a glimpse of brightest blue, a wobbly quirk of his lips before he’s out again. That little sign of conscious life, of Jim’s goddamned cheek settles Leo. Jim hasn’t left him. He adjusts the IV, tucks the covers a little tighter and then rises. There are others that need seeing to, but he trusts his staff and his first duty is to the captain. To Jim.

Leo gets the whole story from DeSalle, has to count slowly backward from one hundred to keep from punching something. Jim and his foolhardy martyr complex!

When Jim is healed enough that Leo can risk him waking, he eases up on the sedation, waits with lips drawn tight, a frown creasing his brow.

Jim blinks up at him a few times, then gives Leo a slow, crooked grin. He knows he’s in trouble, but thinks he can get out of it by flashing those eyes and that hint of a boyish smile. It usually works, hell, who’s he kidding? It _always_ works, but not this time.

“Cut it out, Jim.” Leo lets his worry and fear stiffen his spine and harden his voice.

Jim ducks his head and turns away, but not before Leo sees the flash of hurt.

Leo swallows back a quick apology. Instead he reaches out, tilts Jim’s chin up. He’s going to face this, finally do it and he’s going to meet Jim’s eyes when he does. He shakes his head, eyes unguarded. “Jim,” he starts, his voice tentative. “Jim, you’ve got to stop taking such blatant risks with yourself.”

“I’m not going to throw my crew into something I wouldn’t—”

“I’m not asking you to sit idly by, but what you did… on the surface. That was unnecessary and I’m asking you to consider your safety, too.” He pauses, suddenly tongue-tied, but he swore he’d do this and he’s going to goddammit. “For me, Jim. If you won’t do it for yourself or for the crew, do it because I’m asking you to. I love you, you idiot, and I need you to take care of yourself… _for me._ ”

Jim’s lips part on a silent gasp, his eyes going wide, but he doesn’t say anything and Leo’s heart fumbles.

Before Leo can pull away and begin to shutter his broken heart, Jim leans up on his elbows, his lips hovering a mere breath’s away from Leo’s. “I love you, too, Bones. Always have, you clueless ass.”

The smile on Jim’s lips is fleeting as it is quickly obscured by the hard press of lips, Jim’s to his. And Leo moans into the kiss. He’s rapidly overwhelmed and lost, can only react, opening and pressing forward to grip Jim’s neck, pulling him tight. The world stops as Jim plunders his mouth.

Jim kisses like he does everything, throwing himself fully into it, his arms reaching up and clinging hard. He teases Leo’s palate, sucks on his tongue and makes a little whimper in the back of his throat. Leo can’t get enough, wants to hear that sound again and again, the want growing into palpable, desperate need. The kiss stretches, lingers as they push and pull, tongues tangling until Leo doesn’t know up from down. He wants to crawl into Jim and stay, inhabit the flesh and bone that feels too small to contain this feeling, this sudden addiction.

When they finally part, Leo sways forward, chasing Jim’s sweet lips. They brush again and Jim chuckles softly. It’s only then that Leo realizes that they’re still in sickbay, someone – probably Chapel – has drawn the curtain, giving them the illusion of privacy. Jim waggles his eyebrows and leers, making Leo laugh with his not unexpected nerve. It doesn’t help that he’s completely hard, wants to touch Jim with intent, learn the sounds he makes when he comes.

But Leo’s a doctor first and foremost. “Soon, kid. Once you’re healed and out of here.”

Jim pouts, but he lays back with only a slight nudge, sprawling comfortably on the biobed. “Will you stay?”

The question is multi-layered and it’s the underlying one that Leo answers. “Always, Jim. Always.”


End file.
